The Toyota Cheetahs came close, but French side Bayonne held their nerve to win a tense EPCR Challenge Cup contest 29-27 on Sunday afternoon.
Considering the Cheetahs had a lack of top-class opposition coming into this fixture, they were always going to be at a disadvantage, but the Bloemfontein side put up a fight, almost let it slip, and then came roaring back to run Bayonne close and take a losing bonus point from the match.
Their fighting spirit, combined with some moments of magic, found Bayonne wanting at times, but they mixed it up well and did some damage when they got the chance.
In the end, Bayonne missed their last three lineouts and gave the ball back three times to the Cheetahs in the final few minutes, but the visitors weren’t able to capitalise and force the victory.
Bayonne edge the Cheetahs in a thriller 🇪🇺🏉 #SSRugby | #ChallengeCupRugby https://t.co/D0RgerncLD
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 18, 2026
There will be loads of lessons for the Bloemfontein side, but they will be happy that they were in the fight until the end and had a chance of victory.
The Cheetahs opened the scoring early on after getting a good platform from a lineout ball, spreading it wide and sending it to Michael Arries on the wing, who cut back inside for a superb finish to get the first try.
Michael Annies has pace to burn 🏉🔥 📺 Stream #ChallengeCupRugby on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw https://t.co/1GhFjwoIJz
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 18, 2026
Bayonne hit back with a rolling maul try to even up the scores - and the Cheetahs would struggle with the Bayonne maul all afternoon.
Tiaan Swanepoel added a penalty to keep them ahead, but Federico Mori allowed the home side to take the lead for the first time in the match as he spotted an easy gap in the midfield and motored 40 metres downfield to score.
Another rolling maul set up the third try for Yohan Orabe, with Bosch adding his second shortly afterwards as the Cheetahs trailed 22-13 at the break and looked set for a tough second half.
But they emerged rejuvenated and took the game to Bayonne, and got first blood in the second half through a grubber through for CJ Coetzee to pounce.
They followed it up with a rolling maul that set Bayonne back on their heels, and Namibian international Louis “Chucky” van der Westhuizen went over from close range.
That gave them a 27-22 lead on the hour mark, and they looked set to score again, only to see a turnover turned into points at the other end of the field when Herschel Jantjies finished off a superb counter-attack.
The Cheetahs kept attacking, but their finishing let them down on several occasions, forcing them to settle for the close loss when the win was within their grasp.
Scorers
Bayonne - tries: Facundo Bosch (2), Federico Mori, Yohan Orabe, Herschel Jantjies. Conversions: Robert du Preez (2).
Toyota Cheetahs - tries: Michael Anies, CJ Coetzee, Louis van der Westhuizen. Conversions: Tiaan Swanepoel (3). Penalties: Swanepoel (2)